My one-man boycott of Exxon

Chris is truly inspiring. The current oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico involving the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig brought me to this sight as I searched for statistics regarding the financial impact of boybotting felt by Exxon after the Valdez accident. I boycotted Exxon for a few years after 1989 but eventually began to buy gas from them again. Now I am boycotting BP, and this time I plan to do so forever. I will impact my corner of the world. In fact, I will be buying a new car in the next year or two and hybrid/electric cars are at the top of my shopping list.

Chris' beautifully lyrical writing make me feel like I have been to Alaska too. "Awkwardly beautiful "moose? A sun that "refuses" to set? Breathtaking images that, as a writer, make me feel very, very jealous. :)

It's a shame that seemingly in most cases people only learn to prevent an abomination from happening after it has already occurred, and sometimes even then they don't learn. I agree one hundred percent with your boycott of Exxon. I wasn't born until December of the same year the spill occured, and although I've never bought from Exxon simply because there are none where I drive, your comments have convinced me to avoid Exxon gas pumps altogether. We have the means to protect or erase the wildlife with which we share this planet and with that power comes a solemn responsibility. Exxon failed to live up to it, and yet their business flourishes as if nothing happened twenty years ago.

Dear Christopher, my name is AnnMarie, and I am so glad to read your posting about your one-man boycott of Exxon. I have to let you know you are not alone. I have been boycotting Exxon every way I can since the spill. It helped that I never really cared for their gasoline anyway, but after the incident I simply despise everything about the company, and it's executives.
I have spoken to many friends and family members over the years, and they have made the decision to boycott Exxon also. So even though it seemed like only a small team, after reading your posting, I feel encouraged to think that more folks have been doing this also.
Besides the many petitions I've signed to make Exxon accountable, and pay for the cleanup, after all these years they still haven't.
So I will continue to inform folks, and hopefully many more boycott the company that makes record profits during one of the worst recessions of our time, and continues to pollute our planet.

Visions of the filth spewing Exxon Valdez, the poisonous widespread ocean slick, a skulking captain and evasive corporate representatives will forever haunt me. I also hold vivid memories of heroic individual efforts to save oil blackened wildlife and scrub clean beach rocks.
Thanks Christopher for remembering and for reminding that Exxon, et al which continue to deplete, damage and darken our planet, do not deserve patronage nor investment.

I definitely remember the Exxon Valdez incident, as I was in my late twenties when it occurred. No one of my generation will ever forget. I have been to Alaska ( I prefer the tropics...:-), but thanks to Mr. Lancette's shared memories I can now picture it clearly. Its a picture I hope will never fade because of the selfishness of others. Thanks for keeping this issue timely.

I don't remember this oil spill as I was only a toddler when it happened, however, I've never bought gasoline from Exxon for various reasons. The main reason is that they continue to pump oil from out of the country. Shell is in the same basket, and despite one being less than half a mile from my home, I drive about 5 miles out of my way to fill up at the closest BP or Hess. I am disgusted when people decide to pull into an Exxon with me in the car. I try to educate people, but no one wants to listen when it's more convenient not to.

I agree completely. I am another one that boycotts EXXON. It's really sad that people, especially Americans, tend to ignore what doesn't affect them.

You're absolutely right about the power of one event to reshape the country's, and perhaps the world's, opinion on an entire industry. Until that tanker ran aground, Alaska was a cold state, too far away to matter. Exxon was a gas pump. But when those images of oil-soaked birds and bloated fish hit American TVs, something changed: oil came from somewhere; its transport created certain hazards; we humans held the power to decimate entire ecosystem. And maybe, just maybe, Americans realized, we could start to do something about it. Certainly, the environmental movement existed before the Valdez wrecked in Prince William Sound, but the spill brought new meaning and urgency to green groups' concerns. Thanks for taking time to acknowledge that moment today. It deserved note both for its tragedy and its promise.

Great article! We must keep in mind that thanks to a LOT of people that have decided to do their one-person boycotts and one-person protests, the world has increasingly become aware of the environment and the importance of preserving it. Whereas 20 years ago you may have been considered almost a bit bizarre, you are now the mainstream. Internet tools like Facebook which we didn't have before help us today in spreading the word and help David fight Goliath.

I say boycott Exxon for what they did in Alaska, boycott Citgo for being in bed with Chavez, and boycott the rest becuase they perpetuate the second-class ciitzen status of women in most of the Middle East... In other words, let's just boycott them all get off the oil dependancy! Reemberto

Boycotting Exxon is a great first step, and you're actually not alone - I've been boycotting them for 20 years as well. But critters are still getting oiled all the time - from tanker spills, offshore rig spills, refinery spills, and now, from the horrendous oil sands fields of Canada. And my heart still breaks every time I see a photo of one of the birds or other animals that stumbled innocently into this manmade muck.
So for 20 years I've also been working at reducing the amount of oil I have to buy from any oil company, anywhere. The less we use, the less drive there is to pull more oil from more places, fouling more landscapes and seascapes.
So boycott Exxon, yes. Then maybe think about how else you can reduce the demand that you - that all of us - make on the world's oil supplies, and therefore on the world's natural places.

Nice article. I am always amazed that everyone forgets so easily what they did. Right now the economy is grabbing the headlines but soon it will be forgotten as well. Thanks for keeping the pressure on and helping us to remember how important our land is.

Oil spills are tragic events that are devastating marine life throughout the world. I know The Wilderness Society primarily works on land issues, so its good to see them branching out to the sea. It also reminds me how intricately tied oceanic and terrestrial issues often are. To read more about the long-term effects of oil spills on wildlife and public health, impacts of offshore drilling, and oil issues in the Arctic, please check out my group Oceana's new report "Toxic Legacy", available at oceana.org.

Great article, Christopher! This was a horrible event in our country's history. I watched it closely as my brother-in-law was an attorney in the firm that sued Exxon. They won the suit, but have never seen any of the money ;-(
Your style of writing is engaging and entertaining. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Thanks for your insightful comments. Even though Exxon has no presence in my home country, I will make sure I do not support the company now that I relocated to the States. The 20th year anniversary of the worst oil spill in American history should also encourage us to explore alternate sources of fuel and use public transportation whenever feasible. Sadly enough, oil spill or not, the environment continues to suffer the consequences of our high dependence on oil.

I still choose any other station over Exxon. I wonder if an Exxon rep would encourage me to end my boycott with "why do you punish a whole company for the bad judgement of one tanker driver?" For the same reason courts and juries award huge amounts to wronged parties: a little bit to make the bad guy sorry, but to a larger extent to serve as a warning to others who then become inspired to make changes before they get caught being responsible for another tragedy. Money is a powerful coorporate motivator. Do I think my behavior hurts Exxon? Probably not. My choice to fill my tank elsewhere is a "drop in the bucket." But I'll continue to make my little stand because my drop in the bucket is my way of preventing another drop in the ocean.

Enjoyed your comments immensely. It is amazing to me to read this because I have done exactly the same and have never purchased one cent on Exxon gasoline. I even extracted promises from my husband and some of my friends to do the same. Even after all this time it is difficult to think about that atrocity and having been to Alaska three times myself, I know had I personally witnessed what happened there, it would have left a more lasting impression than what we saw on our television screens. Thank God I am able to remember the pristine beauty from my three visits and not the horrors of that atrocity.